Red Kuri Squash and Apple Soup

Soup is probably my favorite meal.  No matter the time of year soup is great year round; plus, it freezes so well that it makes for perfect lunches during the week while at work.  Right now the markets are full of really great fall vegetables and these undoubtedly make great soups.  Last weekend I went on a trip to the local market and came across a squash I hadn’t heard of before – Red Kuri.  When I got home I tried finding a variety of foods that would pair to make a dish and I came to this conclusion: anything goes apparently.  So then I figured I would search around my kitchen and see what I could come up with; this is typically how I cook.  Last weekend my parents had brought me some apples from their tree and I had read that Red Kuri has a nutty taste to it.  I figured the combination of the two with a bit of cinnamon would probably be great.  So here’s my attempt.   I though it turned out quite well.  I’m not sure what I would pair it with, but I think it would be great with pork.

First off, here’s what a Red Kuri squash looks like in case you were wondering.

Ingredients:

• 1 Red Kuri Squash – the one in the picture is not very big and it made a decent size pot.
• 2 peeled apples sectioned into 8ths
• 1 apple with skin on
• Cinnamon powder
• Nutmeg powder
• Sweetener (I used Agave)
• Olive oil
• Vegetable stock

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400F
2. Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds
3. Cut remaining squash into pieces and place on foil lined baking sheet
4. Brush squash with olive oil
5. Bake squash for about 40-45 minutes – until it’s extremely soft when poking with fork
6. Set aside and let cool
7. Chop apples into pieces and put into pot, pouring in a bit of water
8. Put in desired amount of cinnamon and nutmeg
9. Cook covered until apples are very soft
10. Peel squash and place into food processor and add apples
11. Start blending and then pour in vegetable stock until everything can blend well together.
12. Pour in small amount of sweetener (I think I used about 1 tbsp of agave nectar)
13. I let the food processor turn for about 5 minutes.
14. Pour soup into large pot and then add more stock until soup is at your choice of thickness and heat until warm.
15. Pour into bowls and place apple slices in bowl